Safe
by Trying to Understand
Summary: Guinevere's betrayal in the Arthurian legend from the point of view of a girl and Bercelet. It's rubbish, I know! Dual-narrative
1. Part 1

**Part 1**

_I creep slowly round the corner; barely daring to breath- no-one can know I'm here, no-one can notice me. Not that anyone will- I'm just a girl, a poor one at that. I tiptoe a little further down the corridor and as I come closer to the doorway to the room I'm looking for I hear gentle humming. I edge along the wall for the last metre or so, waiting with baited breath and peek my head slowly round the door, taking great care not to make any noise- if I do make a noise, who knows what will happen to me?_

Everyone's heard of the sword in the stone, right? And I bet everyone knows that King Arthur pulled the sword out etcetera etcetera but I bet not everyone knows that he had to pull it out twice because the first time there was only one witness- Bercelet. Or should I say, Bercelet the mighty, I mean, come on, I deserve a better title than the last thing I was called- 'mingy flea-carrier' I know! Me, mingy? Me, a flea carrier? I, I am Bercelet the mighty.

_Then I see her and have to stifle a gasp- she is even more beautiful than the rumours say. She has long, wavy blonde hair that tumbles past her shoulders and goes almost down to her waist. Her eyes are green, not a sly green but a bright, sea green. Never before have I seen anyone half as beautiful and I highly doubt that I'll ever see anyone even within touching distance of being as beautiful as her-she is weaving flowers gently into her hair- cornflowers and forget-me-nots. _

_She truly looks stunning- in her white and blue wedding dress and wearing a small silver tiara upon her head. I can see the jewels on her tiara glittering and shimmering in her reflection- in fact, that's the only way I can see her. If she wasn't doing her hair in the mirror, I'd just be able to see the back of her head. Suddenly, my eyes flit upwards and I see it. I see the way the light is flooding into the room through the open window, almost leaving her with a gentle glow, making her seem holy, like a goddess. Guinevere, the goddess of beauty._

I'm not exactly favoured in court- I don't know why, I mean, I have such charm and Arthur bathes me almost once a month _and_ I'm as fit as a fiddle- quite a good looking mutt really, and yet, people never listen to me when I suggest things. In fact, many of them covered their ears when I started shouting about my opinion to Knight Owain and then, after I've left the room they steal my ideas and decide to knight Owain! With that smooth Lancelot taking claim for the idea! Hem hem, I think you'll find that was _my _idea. Yes, Bercelet the mighty first suggested that in court.

_I move my gaze back to the mirror, only to realise that rather than watching her reflection she is watching mine. I gasp, this time not bothering to stifle it- she knows I'm here now, she can see me so what's being quiet going to do- make her think she's hallucinating? I don't think so. She seems to spot my nervous look as I begin to back away. I am about to take to my heels and run, unable to think of anything else to do when I spot her look and, instead of the look of anger and maybe even offence I expect, I see a look of almost.. Happiness? But why would she be happy? I am an intruder, I am spying on her in her chamber- surely I am to be punished? _

_She stands up and turns around to face me and, as she turns her hair twirls around her and she looks like a true queen. She is even more beautiful in flesh than reflection and for a moment I am mesmerized. Then I realise where I am and begin to panic. I step back and bang my head, hard against the door. My eyes begin to smart and as tears well up in my eyes, Guinevere reaches out. I want to run, I want to hide but there is nowhere to run- nowhere to hide._

I've been thinking carefully about this whole title thing and I've come to the conclusion that 'Bercelet the mighty' isn't going to catch on- it doesn't give the right ring, It makes me sound too… thuggish so, I've decided, I shall be Bercelet the Brave- it even has an alliteration! Really, my own intelligence even surprises me sometimes!

_I am about to jerk away from her as her hand reaches out and grasps mine yet something stops me, something prevents me from moving- I am paralysed. I stand there, frozen to the spot while she opens her mouth to speak and, when she speaks dogs from all around stop howling, birds stop singing, surely people must stop moving even as far out as the kingdom of Lyonesse. 'I am Guinevere' she said, softly in a voice that would hypnotise a pirate and make them pause mid-battle, no matter how grave the consequences may be. 'I know' I say, these being the only words my mouth can form- like I say, I am paralysed and even though the world around me may still be spinning I am not- I have stopped orbiting and gone off into my own wild tangent of a world. I am not in heaven; I am beyond heaven, I am somewhere no-one can ever hurt me; I am with Guinevere. The true Queen of Camelot._

Right, I've had it, these knights think they can do what they want but they can't. One of them hit me. He actually hit me! Ok, it was more like a tap on the nose than a full on hit but I still can't believe it. How dare he? How dare he hit I, Bercelet the migh- no, Bercelet the Brave. How dare he? He should be un-knighted- that _is _aword- and Arthur should mention in the Knights code that as a knight you must never, ever hit Bercelet, Bercelet the Brave.

'_And who would you be?' she asks, gently, clearly trying to put me at ease. 'Elly' I say 'Eleonora' I correct myself- she is the queen, she doesn't really want to know me- she is just asking out of politeness. Yet, it doesn't feel like that. It seems like she really cares, really wants to know who I am. Saying that- who on earth would want to know me? I am just a girl. I remind myself. And a poor one at that._

_I am suddenly conscious of my grubby hands and pull them away, hiding them behind my back. As she swivels back round to face the mirror, her blond hair following her, glimmering and flouncing out I consider my options- should I run or should I stay? I decide to stay and kneel down on the floor next to where she is sat, sorting out some more flowers. I am in a trance and I am treasuring every moment of being in this state._

My faith in Knights has been restored! It took a lot of persuading on the Knights behalf- they had to practically beg for my forgiveness. I had them all grovel, down on their knees, begging. Well, I would have had them do that had they obeyed me. In fact, they just laughed when I growled menacingly at them. Only Gawain, a true knight showed some respect and, even though he didn't grovel, he did provide me with a nice juicy lump of meat…

_I don't know how many seconds of silence pass. Maybe even minutes pass- I have no idea, it's almost like Guinevere has cast her spell over me. The pealing of a bell suddenly reminds me where I am; jerks me back into real life and I remember- I have to get back to Tata, and fast. 'Sorry' I say to Guinevere, running out of her room and setting off down the grand staircase 'I have to go' not caring that no-one can hear me. I have just seen Guinevere. Queen Guinevere._

I'm being ignored and now I've been shut out- I've never been shut out before! Arthur would never allow it. If this is what happens to Arthur when he falls in 'love' then I'm worried for my future- will Guinevere even let me inside? No, Bercelet, you are brave, hence your title. You must not think like this- Guinevere will adore you and spoil you and life will go on as normal just, this time, there will be a woman on Arthurs left side rather than an empty chair.

_I fly down the steps and sprint across the square. There is a dog sat by the entrance to the castle, tethered to the wall by a chain. I glance at him for a moment and our eyes lock and, though it may sound strange but I feel as though there was some sort of the connection- no, more than a connection. I was as though I could feel his feelings, only for a split second- it was just while I was looking at him I felt rejected and I heard the voice of a man in my head saying 'I am Bercelet, Bercelet the brave'_

_I burst into our small cottage and see Tata mixing two chemicals of some sort. He isn't washed and he isn't even dressed, despite me telling him to do both these things over an hour ago. 'Tata' I sigh 'It's the kings wedding in half an hour, you are their court physician- high up in the king's favour and you aren't even dressed.' His lack of response tells me exactly how much heed he paid to my words 'Tata' I place my hand gently on his arm 'You have to get ready; we have to go' my touch causes him snap out of his 'treatment state' as my mama called it 'Oh, I forgot, sorry Elly' he smiles and ruffles my hair and I grin back 'it's OK' I assure him 'just get ready!' I give him a soft push towards the screen and he makes his way behind it 'I am wearing the red top, right?' he calls 'Yes' I say, tired of telling him 'The red top and the-' 'Brown trousers' he finishes, chuckling 'don't worry, I have remembered!'_

I'm out of my wits with boredom, tethered up here- in the past half an hour only one person of interest has come past- a girl of about nine or ten who came dashing past. She turned back and looked at me and I felt as though something shot through me- her thoughts, her feelings- it was almost as if a light flashed through me and her whole life was placed before me for a split second. I even heard her speak- nothing detailed, though, she simply said 'Elly, Eleonora'


	2. Part 2

**Part 2**

_We arrive bang on time, not a minute early, not a minute late and as we make our way to our seats I spot a dog sat by Arthurs chair and realise- this is the dog from earlier. Once more I look at him and again hear him speak 'Bercelet the Brave, no ordinary mutt, no mingy flea-carrier but Bercelet the brave' I shake my head and place my hands over my ears. It's so strange; I'm hearing a voice I never heard, a voice that probably never existed. What is happening to me? Am I going mad?_

She's here, at the wedding- the girl I mean and I can hear her speaking, 'You have to get ready; we have to go' and I'm pretty sure she can hear me- she shook her head and placed her hand over her ears, as though she was trying to block me out. It was strange- as soon as we lost eye contact, I stopped hearing her and I think she stopped hearing me because her scrunched up face relaxed and she drew her hands away from her ears. I've got to try not to look at her because she clearly doesn't enjoy the sensation of hearing me and I can't say I'm too chuffed at being able to hear her either.

_The guards open the large oak, arc shaped door and she enters the room. You wouldn't have to tell me she's entered, her presence is immediately felt. She looks even more beautiful than before, if that is physically possible. The light follows her down the aisle and as the room goes from hushed to silent I realise that I am not the only one who is put under a spell by Guinevere, she has cast a spell over the whole of Camelot, a spell only she can cast and a spell only she can break._

Ok, she's quite attractive I guess (I'm talking about Guinevere if you hadn't already worked that out) and she may have nice hair and a few other nice features but she's nothing special, really- I don't see what all the fuss is. Everyone stares at her like she's the most amazing thing that ever happened but she _isn't. _She's just a woman for heaven's sake. I don't even really like her, she doesn't let me sleep on the bed- even when I have clean paws. That's why I'm stuck out here for the second time today- and it isn't even_ her_ bed! And even worse; this time, there's no Elly to keep me sane. I think she was the only person last time who prevented from going completely ballistic and taking a massive hunk out of everyone who came near enough for me to get a taste of their flesh…

_The wedding was a success. A big one. Any idiot can see just how happy Guinevere has made Arthur- and she looked radiant. She practically floated up the aisle and the glow of the light followed, like it did in her room. I have never seen a happier couple- I don't believe anything will ever come between them, they'll be King Arthur and Queen Guinevere forever- till the end of their lives._

_I drag my attention away from my book, ridding my head of thoughts of the wedding and turning my attention to Tata, who is currently sorting out test tubes and pouring a pale powder into a clear liquid. I can see his face, his brow furrowed in concentration and the odd bead of sweat creeping own his forehead. 'Rest, Tata' I say 'You'll work better after a good night's sleep, everything will be clearer in the morning' 'No' he shook his head vigorously 'if I don't do this now I won't be able to get to sleep- I have to work this out' I half-grin half-grimace and shut the notebook I am working in- trust Tata to say something like that, he really is addicted to his work! For him, work seems like the only thing left worth living for. It's been like that since mama died. Work, work, work with the odd bit of daughter thrown in here and there._

It's been raining. I'm wet. And still that witch (Ok witch _queen_ then) expects me to 'sit', 'beg' and 'roll-over'. I hate her. I hate her smile, I hate her hair, I hate her eyes, I hate her laugh. I hate everything about her. And what's more, I don't trust her- there's something not quite right about her. I can't quite put my finger on it but mark my words, there's something not quite right about her. Of all the possible Queens in the world, why did Arthur choose that one?

_The week has worn on slowly. Since the wedding nothing much has been happening- I haven't seen the dog again and, so far, Guinevere is proving herself to be a just and able queen, helping the poor to the right extent and playing the part of a peacemaker when fights break out. Tata has found a new cure to some obscure illness that only occurs about one time in a million but I don't dare squash his pride and so congratulate him and go along with the 'excitement' of the occasion._

_As I deliver a cure to an old lady on the edge of town I can't help but notice the birds and the way they are singing. It's a triumphant tune, almost like a fanfare and it reflects the feeling of Camelot at the moment. Our people have united under Guinevere and the sun shines brighter over our nation than it has for many, many years as we have two of the greatest rulers in the history of Camelot._

A whole week. Seven full days of Guinevere shutting me out, not allowing me indoors because I'm 'too dirty.' Well, I'll give her dirty- I'll get as mucky as possible and come bounding in, acting all friendly and land- splosh! On Guinevere's lap… she won't be so beautiful then!

'_Elly, go fetch me some herbs will you? Just some rosemary and thyme and a little bit of sage if possible?' I hear Tata's voice floating out from our cottage. I am sat on the step by our door, chalking a flower onto the cobbles in front of our house. 'Sure, Tata' I say, scooping my bag up by the frayed strap and slinging it over my body. I snatch up my scarf and, instead of wrapping it round my neck I wrap it round my bag handle. I stuff in my journal and race out, careful not to bang the door too loudly on my way out._

_I walk down my normal pathway, weaving in and out of the busy market, listening to the market cries of 'cheapest bread in Camelot!' and 'Best range of Spices you'll find in miles!' I happily skip along the cobbles, careful not to trip and as the market sounds die off I find myself entering a complete new world- the woods. It's the only place I've ever felt completely at ease; being in the woods is the best feeling you can have, it's even better than being with Guinevere, even she cannot outshine the woods._

It seems to me that since Guinevere came to town I've had to spend more and more time locked out. It's actually become no surprise to me that I find myself by this flight of steps yet again, as per usual. The only difference is that this time, I have no rope leashing me to that dratted flagpole. I can vaguely hear the sounds of the market from here but I have to strain my ears. It's so boring, watching the wind go by, waiting for time to go by and speed up. Then it hits me. I'm not tethered in any way, shape or form. I can go where I want, roam as far as I want! I'm a free dog! I'm heading for the woods- I only ever go in there to hunt with Arthur and it's always the same spots. Today, I want to find somewhere new in the woods- somewhere undiscovered and preferably uninhabited- I don't feel like finding company today.

_I follow my regular pathway before turning off the path and hiking up a reasonably steep slope. This is my regular route, the way I always go. I love it up here. All the spring flowers have grown and I am surrounded by patches of daffodils and bluebells, uncountable amounts of them and as I tiptoe in between the small gaps they leave for me, trying not to squish any of them, I hear a noise. I hear a low, soft voice. The voice of a young man. I can't hear what he is saying but I can definitely hear him. _

_I strain, trying to work out where the voice is coming from then I freeze. A woman's voice has entered the conversation- the voice of one of the most unforgettable women I have ever met. The voice of Guinevere._

I have discovered unchartered lands within the mysterious woods! Exploring is something else I can add to my increasingly long list of skills. Bercelet the Explorer! No, Bercelet the Brave sounds better. Shows off my alliteration skills more, don't you think? Anyhow, I shall explore a little further and allow myself to become engulfed in the numerous patches of flowers that await me…

_The voice of the man is definitely not Arthur, Arthur's voice is lower and I doubt he's capable of speaking that quietly, he always comes across as rather a loud soul to me. I twist and turn, trying to find the origin of the voices. Am I imagining them? Am I hearing voices- maybe I really am going mad? First I hear a dog talk, now this._

_I take a deep breath and dare myself to move but I am once more frozen until I hear another voice. I swivel and there is the dog, bounding up to me, his ears flopping about and his tail flying around behind him and, though I barely know this dog, I fling my arms round him, simply grateful to know that I am now not alone._

I don't know what came over me, as soon as I saw Elly I just bounded up to her, tongue lolloping all over the place and ears flapping about like an elephant's. And, even more to my surprise, Elly wrapped her arms around me as though she was actually glad to see me. Me, the mutt who scares her and can somehow communicate with her without speaking.

_I stroke Bercelet and rub him, making him squirm with what I hope was excitement, not because he was uncomfortable. I then indicate to him to be quite and take a few steps forward, beckoning Bercelet to follow me. I peep round the tree, just like I did round Guinevere's door but a week ago and have to stifle a gasp for I see one of the most horrendous sights I have ever seen and possibly ever will see: I see Guinevere being led by the hand by none other than Lancelot._

How dare she? How dare she and that Lancelot make a fool out of my master? I never liked him, I never liked her. I always knew no good would come out of Arthur marrying her. Why, oh why did she have to do this? She'll break my master's heart and could potentially break the whole Kingdom in two. She could be responsible for the downfall of a once mighty kingdom, united under the false love of their 'loyal' Queen.

_I pull Bercelet back, shocked and turn away from the scene. I cannot believe the sight I have just seen. It can't have been happening; my eyes must be deceiving me. But, as I turn back I realise with a sinking feeling that my eyes were not deceiving me for now Lancelot and Guinevere are interlocked in an embrace and kissing each other passionately. For a split second I think 'if this is a nightmare, wake me up now' but I know it is no nightmare and I can hear Bercelet's voice in my head confirming this tragic fact 'this is no nightmare, Elly,' he says 'Guinevere has betrayed Arthur. The downfall of Camelot has begun. This is the beginning of the end.'_

_And I repeat it out loud. 'The downfall of Camelot has begun. This is the beginning of the end.'_


	3. Part 3

**Part 3**

_I shut the door of our little cottage, and, clutching my journal and sketchbook I make my way down the main street. The once merry, bustling atmosphere of the market has gone and in its place an air of defeat hangs over us. I tread slowly and carefully along the cobbles, sighing to myself. This Kingdom could have been one of the mightiest in history. In fact, it was one of the mightiest but now, now we are trapped in a deep hole, dug by Guinevere and her pathetic lover, Lancelot. _

_I reach the edge of the city and spy Bercelet, waiting for me on the hill I break into a run and engulf him in a hug, nestling my chin in his fur and burying my face up, muffling out my facial features. I have discarded my sketchbook and journal onto the grass and as I unwrap Bercelet from my hug I hear him 'Why did it have to come to this, why?' and I reply without speaking 'I don't know, I really don't know'_

'_Will we get out of it alive?' he inquires and at this question I feel his body tense up; he is scared for his future, scared for the future of Camelot_

_I kneel down and look into his eyes, bringing my face to his level. 'I don't know, Bercelet' I say, rubbing him behind his ears where I know he likes it best 'but we've got to try, we've got to try and get out of this together'_

I'm worried. Scared, even. I don't know if I'll get out of the mess that's been created- I don't know if Arthur will and I don't know if Elly will. But a week ago my biggest concern was the name a knight called me. I can barely remember that name now- it just seems so insignificant. If someone called me a name now I'd simply shrug it off- I wouldn't care. There are bigger worries in the world.

If I get out of this alive, at least I'll have learnt something from it. I'll have learnt to appreciate what I have; to stop moaning and, most of all, to protect my master and not let him make any mistakes. I can only pray for the survival of Camelot now. Once upon a time I would not have had to pray but now, because of Guinevere praying is all I can do.

_I sit staring into his sea-green eyes, just like mine, and follow the intricate patterns round formed by the veins bursting out from his pupils. 'I bet that's why we can communicate' I say, this time out loud. He looks baffled, and tilts his head to one side making one ear spring up and the other flop down, clearly waiting for me to elaborate on my comment. 'Because of our eyes' I explain 'I bet we have exactly the same pattern in our eyes, in fact, I bet that somewhere out there every human has a dog they can communicate with and every dog a human, I just guess it's rare for the dog and the human to meet._

_He woofs in approval and jumps up to lick my nose. Then, he says 'I'm glad I've found the human I can communicate with' he said and licked me again, then I hear the sound of marching. I stand up and turn out to see what feels like the whole world and, slowly rising up from behind the hill, I can see an army. Lancelot's army. He's coming to fight Arthur over Arthur's decision to execute Guinevere for adultery, there's going to be a whole war over a woman, a woman who sure knows how to cast a spell over people, a woman who committed adultery on none other than the king._

_I sink the grass and hug my knees up to my chest. I feel Bercelet trying to nuzzle his head under my arms so I place and arm round him. I feel him rest his head on my shoulder and I rest my head on him and together, together we prepare to watch the end. The end of Camelot. The end of a mighty Kingdom but potentially the beginning of a new friendship between girl and dog. 'Dog and girl' I hear Bercelet chip in 'I'm a very important dog, I shall go first' I smile._

_The end of Camelot is nigh but I am not scared, I have Bercelet, Bercelet has me and we are safe. Safe till the end of time. Dog and Child. Child and Dog. _


End file.
